Brussels issues 12,000 more euro-travel passes for 18-yr-olds

(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission launched a second DiscoverEU competition Thursday, giving 12,000 young people aged 18 the chance to apply for a travel pass to discover Europe next summer.

This follows a successful first round which gave 15,000 young people the opportunity to travel around Europe between July and October 2018.

DiscoverEU was launched in June 2018 with a budget of €12 million. So far, it has given more than 15,000 young people the opportunity to travel around Europe. The aim is to create fresh opportunities for them to explore the continent's rich cultural heritage, get to know other people, learn from other cultures and experience what it feels like to be European.

"The first round showed that young people gain self-confidence and skills, such as taking initiative and speaking other languages," said Education Commissioner Tibor Navracsics: "DiscoverEU is about much more than travelling, it is about learning for life."

Any EU citizen born between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2000 will be able to apply for this round.

Those interested in taking part can apply via the European Youth Portal where they will need to register and share their travel plans. Applicants will be selected based on their replies to a quiz of five multiple-choice questions linked to European culture and diversity, EU initiatives targeting young people, the upcoming European Parliament elections and an additional question on a topic related to the second round.

Successful applicants can travel between 15 April and 31 October 2019 for between 1 and 30 days.

For this round the Commission encourages particularly people who have special needs or face social challenges to apply. For people with special needs, the Commission will put information and tips at their disposal and cover the necessary costs of special assistance (for example an accompanying person or a guide dog for visually impaired participants).

Successful applicants can travel alone or in a group of up to five people (all 18-year-olds). As a general rule they will travel by rail. However, to ensure wide access across the continent, participants can also use alternative modes of transport, such as buses or ferries, or, exceptionally, planes where necessary. This will ensure that young people living in remote areas or on islands which are part of the EU will also have a chance to take part.

Every EU Member State has been allocated a number of travel passes, based on the share of its country's population compared to the overall population of the European Union.